#partone

She dropped her hand from her hair and shook her head, her hair falling into place over her head. A trick she learned from her mother, which she still unconsciously does. She took a step forward and took a breath before speaking.

“Alright, Mr. Count, here's what I am going to do. I am going to climb the tree, and once I get to the branch level you are at, I'll try and shimmy you off of it. Sounds good… kind of… And uhh, you can still move, right?”

The cat simply nodded in reply to her statement and questions, the pink hat still gripped tightly in his hand.

She slowly walked to the tree infront of her, the one that the cat is currently stuck on.

“Oh gosh, I haven't climbed a tree in years.” Shōko said with a sigh as she stretched a bit. She gazed at the rough bark of the tree and sighed again. She took off her dress, as it would be a hindrance to climbing the tree, so in turn she was left in a tightly-fitted white long-sleeve shirt, with sleeves long enough to cover half of her palms. She neatly folded her dress and placed it on top of her coat before she started scaling the tree.

The cat was about eight or nine meters off the ground, so she had quite a bit of distance up to climb. Grabbing onto a branch, finding a place to put her feet, then pulling herself up and grabbing onto another branch in the process. The leaves smacking her face as she climbed were annoying, but not much of a hindrance. The process of ‘feel for a branch, grab on tight, then place your feet and pull yourself up’ repeated multiples times, but it only took her about three minutes to climb onto a branch near the cat. Not particularly fast, but for someone who hadn't climbed a tree in years, it wasn't too shabby.

She continued pulling herself along the branch, shimmying and scooting her butt along the branch until she was right next to Count, her legs straddled over the sides of the branch. The wind picked up slightly, which made the branches sway around more than before.

“You said you can't feel pain in the traditional sense. Right, Mr. Count?”

The cat nodded.

“So that means I can just, sorta, yank you right off??”

He nodded again, but slower this time. “Sure, but you must be careful not to damage more of my body, as I can feel zhe pain of vhen a vound is inflicted…”

Shōko nodded as she heard that, realizing that Count probably felt the pain of being impaled, but not of having a gaping hole in his chest.

She inched and scooted closer to him, practically sitting on the end of her branch, the swaying wind not doing much to calm her. She reached her arms out and gripped his shoulders and tried to reach around to his waist.

She took a breath before saying, “Alright. On the count of three, I'll pull you off. Ready, Mr. Count?”

The cat nodded.

“Okay...”

She took a single, deep breath.

“One…! Two—!”

Immedietly after the second count, she pulled up as hard as she could, trying to pull his body evenly up. The sound of the cats wooden body scraping against the branch made a disgusting screech, and Count gasped sharply in shock. His body fell back onto her, making her lose her balance. Her weight shifted and she started leaning off of the branch.

“Oh no!” She exclaimed before rotating off the branch, her legs locking around each other, making her now hang upside-down.

“Uwah—! J-just hang in there, Count…!!” She said as she swayed slightly, her hands gripping the cat’s calf and his shoulder, leaving them both in a very precarious position, with the risk of falling nine meters or so.

She gripped the branch with her legs even tighter, the faint slipping coupled with the billowing of the wind making her anxious. She tried to lift herself and the cat up with a hanging-sit-up sort of movement, but her strength wasn't enough.

Noticing this, Count interrupted. “Uh, Shōko, don't vorry about trying to lift us both up. Just drop me, I'll be fine~!”

His cheery smile was unnerving to Shōko. She wasn't sure if he held other intentions, but even if he didn't she wasn't very intent on dropping him.

“A-are you crazy!!! That is a ten-meter drop! In your state, you definitely wouldn't get out unscathed…!!” She yelled at him, still trying to lift them both up. She continued, her words straining as did her body. “I'll definitely get us—”

“Shōko!!” The cat interrupted, surprising her. He grabbed her arm and wiggled his leg out of her grip, leaving her only holding him by the shoulder, the aforementioned grip of hers slipping and loosening.

His eyes were steady and set, and he just nodded, knowing that words weren't needed. Shōko bit her lip and grimaced slightly before replying, “Alright, I'll trust you, Mr. Count…”

Her grip slowly loosened even more before she dropped him. She gazed downwards as he fell backwards instead of diving, like he did off the cloud. He rolled backwards in the air and, with perfect timing, rolled backwards as he hit the ground and onto his feet, putting the pink hat on his head and straightening his coat as he stuck the landing, a wide grin on his face. He looked up at Shōko and waved at her.

“Perfectly fine, as you can see!!”

Shōko was baffled at his display of bodily control.

How did he do that?! Was it because he was lighter? A-and the rolling probably took away most of the kinetic energy right? So… Yeah, that's probably how…!!

Her thoughts were all over the place as per usual, but she calmed herself. She could get her countless questions answered on the way to Lavden, not only the ones about his stunt, but the other ones too.

She simply smiled back at him before doing that sit-up motion to grab the branch and pull herself up back onto it properly. As she was now straddling said branch, she inched and scooted backwards until her back was against the main trunk. She grabbed onto a nearby branch and used the leverage to lift her left leg over onto the right side. She proceded to climb down the tree the same way as she climbed up, just sorta a reversed version.

Once she was about one to one and a half meters away from the ground she dropped down, her boots making a *thud* sound as it collided with the sand and dirt. She turned around and made eye contact with the cat, a cheeky smile forming on his face.

“Are you alright, Miss Shōko? Zhe climb vasn't too hard??”

She nodded, untying her headscarf and letting her arms drop as she held it. The breeze blew and tousled her hair whichever, making her inclined to brush a bunch back and behind her ear using her right hand, as the headscarf was in her left.

“I'm the one who should be asking if you're alright, Mr. Count.. You are the one with a gaping hole in your chest, after all…” She said as she approached him and crouched down.

“Here, lift your arms.” She said, with the cat complying curiously. Shōko then began to tie her headscarf around Count’s torso, making sure it covered the backside of the hole before tying it's corners.

Afterwards she began buttoning up his coat and explained. “My headscarf is only large enough to cover the backside of your unfortunate hole, so you'll have to button up your coat to cover the front. But it'll be fine. Once we've made it to Lavden, we can then get you properly patched up…”

Once she was finished, she stood up. “How is it, Mr. Count?”

The cat moved around a bit, turning his torso and jumping in once spot.

“It should hold…” He replied before he realigned his gaze with hers. “Many zhanks, Miss Shōko, you didn’t have to~”

Shōko shook her head. “No no, we have to at least maintain some semblance of dignity. It's exactly times like this when we should be at our best. But alas, we should begin heading out and finding some sort of shelter,” She looked up to the sky.

“It's getting dark, and frankly we have no idea what could be out at night. We got off lucky surviving last night...” Shōko added before going to pick up her things. She decided to only put on the coat and hold onto the dress, in case she ever had to do some high-movement activities.

As she was gathering her things, the cat crossed his arms and replied. “Uhn, yes. Speaking of last night... While I was stuck impaled on zhe branch, I felt a strange aura surround me, like a ominous mist encasing zhe surroundings. It seemed to have appeared like regular fog, but at zhe same time it seemed like it came from zhe trees…”

Shōko approached with her dress in her arms, an eyebrow raised. “I didn't encounter anything like that. Or... at least, I think I didn't…” She replied to his statement.

The cat, curious as ever inquired on her uncertainty. “Vhat do you mean vhen you say you zhink you didn’t? It seemed to me like you vere running from somezhing. You vere in tears. Speaking of vhich, I heard you—”

Shōko held her hands and waved them in an attempt to interrupt the cat, not wanting him to question her about why she was begging forgiveness.

“Ahh, uhm, that's… because…” She dropped her arms and gazed down, sighing before grabbing her right arm above the elbow joint and continuing.

“W-well, the reason I was so distraught i-is because...” She hesitated. Just the thought of it all had her in turmoil again. But she continued on.

“I died. O-or, almost died, s-since I'm… you know, still alive and all…”

She dropped her left hand and took a step forward as she looked at him again, her passion resurfacing as she added, “B-but I-I swear I died. I-it all felt so real and I was laying in a pool of my own blood and all—”

“Woah, woah, hold on now, Miss Shōko, you didn't even tell me vhat zhis danger you were running from is.” He crossed his arms once again as he sighed. He continued, “Ve vont’t be able to figure out vhat to look out for if ve are both left in zhe dark. So take a breath and calmly explain to me, Shōko...”

Shōko nodded and took a breath to calm herself.

“Yes, you are right. I apologize for losing my composure there, Mr. Count.”

The cat waved it off. “It's alright. Your attitude is reasonable, since you almost died as you have said. Now, please. Explain vhat attacked you...!”

Shōko nodded briefly before holding her chin in thought. She thought back to the moment when that axe whirred past her. She didn't even remain to see the perpetrator, she just ran off. But something wasn't adding up. She could feel like there was a gap in her memories.

Trauma? Can't be. The incident didn't happen more then 2 hours ago, but knowing Shōko and her ability to bury memories, it might not be as far-fetched as it seems.

She took a breath before realigning her gaze with Count. She then began.

“Well, it seemed to be a person. I didn't manage to see if it was a person, but I think it is due to the fact that they launched an axe right at my skull…” She said while tapping the side of her skull, right behind her frontal lobe.

The cat dropped his arms, shook his head in surprise and exclaimed in bafflement. “VHAT!!? An axe!? H-how, huh??”

He walked right infront of her and grabbed her arm, pulling her low enough so he can examine her head.

“A-and you are alright? You're not hurt, are you??” He inquired while feeling up her head, his concern quite evident.

Shōko giggled slightly before replying. “Well, I think so. If the attack did hit me, I don't think I would be talking to you right now, Mr. Count. Hehe~!”

The cat released her head and stepped back slightly, embarrassed by his own sudden display of affection. He held his left hand behind his back, while his right came up to his mouth, as he did a mock cough to clear his throat “Ahem, ahem. V-vell, zhat’s good, zhen. But vhat do you mean vhen you said you ‘died’? And zhat you vere in a pool of you own blood? You don't seem to have any injuries, so I'm quite befuddled and curious…”

“Ah—! W-well…” Shōko was befuddled herself. She wasn't sure what she experienced— only that the axe had lodged into her skull, and that she fell over, and then…

And then what? There seemed to be a gap in her memories of what happened between laying on the ground with the axe in her skull, and when she appeared back on the rock.

Oh, Mila, I.. what was it that happened??

She shook her head and waved off to the cat. “Ah, s-sorry, Count. I'm not sure why I said that. I'm not sure what I experienced myself, just that…” She couldn't find the words, for whatever reason.

The cat noticed this and decided to drop the matter for a later time. “Zhat’s no problem. You survived, and zhat’s all zhat matters. But ve need to be cautious, since there are probably people vith malicious intentions lurking in zhis forest. I mean, I doubt a beast vould zhrow an axe at you...” He said while holding his hands behind his back.

He looked to the sky again, and the orange and red glows from the setting sun were beginning to dissapear. And Count was beginning to worry. His gaze snapped back to Shōko, who was still in thought and turmoil over what happened.

“Miss Shōko. It's best to ignore zhat for now; ve have bigger problems at hand, as you can see...” He said, pointing towards the darkening sky. She snapped out of her predicament and focused. She then reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone and opened the map app. “Ah well, I assume our number-one agenda is finding shelter, so… let me just see if there's anything mapped in this forest...”

Count just stood by, kicking his foot or something. I mean, he wasn't even tall enough to tip-toe and see what exactly she was doing.

She kept on tapping the buttons on her keyboard, looking at the ‘Unnamed Forest’ on the map. After a couple of minutes, she exclaimed. “Ah! Uhm... Huh?”

“Hmm? Vhat’s wrong?”

Shōko looked up from her phone and saw the cat’s curious face through the fading sunlight.

“Oh, nothing’s wrong, it's just… I, uhh… I found something. And, well, I just didn't expect to find anything, honestly…”

The cat nodded, holding his chin thoughtfully. “Okay, but vhat did you find...?”

Shōko’s eyes widened slightly, and she realized how ditzy she was behaving. “Oh, yes, right!”

She walked over to Count, bending over slightly to show him what she found on her phone.

She held her phone infront of his face as she spoke. “See, here it is. It seems to be some sort of building… Like a cabin, of sorts. It's right in front of this cave over here, you see...”

The cat simply nodded as Shōko continued. “I think this'll be our best bet, for now. And compared to the distance between you and me originally, it’s much closer so… should we?”

The cat looked at her and nodded while tapping her shoulder lightly.

“Yes. Zhat seems like zhe best course of action. Erm, it'd be best if we move with haste, Shōko. It's like… uh, zhe sun has set already…”

Shōko looked up at the sky and was shocked.

Woah, it was still light just a moment ago… but well, it is almost summer, so the nights are getting shorter...

She stood up straight and turned to the direction they needed to go.

“Shall we, Mr. Count?”

The cat fell into step beside her.

“Yes, ve shall!”

Watched the Minecraft movie today (I know, way over due) but all I can say is. Despite how corny it was I loved it. it didn't take itself seriously and it was goofy so "Absolute Cinema ✋️😳🤚"

Thanks to my editors/proofreaders.

@ghoulishnero

Fear bubbled within me and I quickly excused myself. I entered the side alley where no one ever came and teleported myself to the roof. A huge spacecraft was flying above me, shooting lasers down to everyone on the streets.

I groaned and got rid of my stuff in the corner before closing my eyes. I forced the energy of my powers to course through my veins.

''Hey,'' someone panted as they entered the roof, ''what are you doing?''

I shushed them. When I opened my eyes again, they were glowing a bright blue and a spiral of blue lines floated around my hands and wrists.

I pulled my hands back and with a violent force, I pushed them forward, exploding this stream of light from the palm of my hands which collided with the spacecraft. It was pushed back and I repeated it a few more times, before I calmed down and turned around to see the customer I was tending to before this all went down.

''You might want to go to the beach.''

He stared at me, speechless. I walked past him and grabbed my stuff, creating a portal to my home and closed it behind me with a final look at the man in front of me.

-

The whole ordeal was settled with the intense help of the Avengers. Everyone praised them, and I couldn't care less, because it meant I was still safe.

I was making tomato soup when the buzzer downstairs went. Someone wanted to come. I turned the stove a bit off, wiped my hands on a towel, and walked to the front door. I accepted the call.

Teagan was going to come up in a second for our annual movie night. We had to cancel a few times but we finally found some free time. We were going to binge-watch the entire Pirates of the Caribbean movies - one of my ultimate favorites.

I waited in my front door but was surprised to see that blonde guy again.

''Who are you, and what are you doing here?'' I questioned, scared that HYDRA had finally found me after all these years.

''The name's Steve,'' he spoke calmly, ''and I think we should have a talk.''

I gulped down the lump in my throat and stepped aside, letting him in. Steve entered quietly and stood still in my living room.

''We need to discuss what happened the last time. Who are you?''

I closed the door and decided to just stay there, ''I'm Y/N. And, I would appreciate it, if you wouldn't tell anyone about what you saw.''

''My guess is that a lot of people saw it,'' he smiled gently, ''but I was coming here in the hopes we could discuss something. We might need your help.''

I motioned for him to sit down and I sat a chair at a generous distance from him, ''Who's 'we'?''

''S.H.I.E.L.D. The Avengers,'' he searched for my eyes, ''me.''

''I don't want to bring anyone in danger.''

''You won't. You actually would be saving people from danger.''

I nodded.

I would love to use my abilities for good, but it also endangered me. Maybe I could make a deal. ''Alright. But on one condition.''

Steve stared at me, ''What is it?''

''Teach me how to control it.''

It was quiet for a short time but he eventually spoke up again, ''We have a deal.''

I felt relief flooding my heart.

I spent years and years on the run, scared that I would slip up and signal them where I was right now. But now, I had a team to have my back, a team that could teach me how to be the best version of myself.

''You might want to pack some things. I don't think it's going to be safe for long.''

Standing up, I entered my room and made some smooth movements, all my furnite floating around and growing smaller and smaller, until my entire room was a miniature model of what it was.

I stuffed into my bag and grabbed some other stuff before heading to Steve.

He frowned at me, ''That's all?''

''You'd be surprised how much it actually is,'' I chuckled, ''sometimes my powers come in handy. Now, where are we headed? I need some calls to make beforehand.''

He agreed with it and together we walked downstairs to his car, and we made our way to what would be my new home.

-

We managed to get to our location safely. I was surprised to see that it were the Avengers headquarters.

''I can't stay here.''

Steve frowned at me, turning the key in the ignition to turn the engine off, ''Why not?''

''If anyone- Hell, if HYDRA found out that I was staying here, you would have a freaking target on your back. I can't do that to you.''

''That's very considerate of you,'' Steve chuckled, ''but we already have a target on our back. Dozens, actually. So, whatever you decide, it won't bring us in any more danger than we usually are.''

I huffed, opening the door, ''You're just trying to make me feel better.''

''Is it working?''

I turned to him and couldn't help the smile on my face when I met his hopeful eyes. Side by side, we entered the headquarters and everyone was already gathered at the meeting room.

I couldn't believe I was in the same room as Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson.

I waved shyly as I felt all their eyes on me, ''Hi.''

''Oh, look, Captain America decided to grace us with his presence,'' Tony muttered out in annoyance, ''and who's that?''

''Uhm,'' I looked at Steve and he nodded, and I turned back to face them with a kind smile, ''I'm Y/N. It's nice to meet you all.''

''Are you the one he's been telling us about?'' Natasha asked kindly.

I frowned.

I wasn't aware that Steve was talking about me.

A blush crept onto my cheeks and I played it off as if I didn't notice, ''What was he saying?''

''Just that he met a sweet girl in a café who turned out to be stronger than Iron Man.''

Tony stared her down, ''Hey! That's just rude.''

Natasha chuckled and walked up to me, wrapping an arm around me. ''I know we are just going to get along well. Here, let me guide you to your new room.''

I thanked her and walked off with her, turning back to glance once at Steve as he smiled at me.

TO BE CONTINUED

-

-

-

"Get him into room two, get Northaren in here.” Paith ordered, tying blonde hair into a tight ponytail and starting to wash her hands.

The hospice was in complete disarray after the crash of the Shattered Elysium. The once sterile and organized halls were now in complete chaos, with debris and rubble scattered everywhere. Patients who were once recovering peacefully were now screaming in agony, their cries for help echoing through the halls. The smell of smoke and burning flesh hung heavily in the air, mixed with the scent of disinfectant and spilled blood.  Needles were prepared, IV’s set on their racks. Machines were turned on.

The medical staff were doing their best to help those who could still be saved, but the sheer number of wounded and dying made it seem like a hopeless task. Some were too injured to even move, lying where they had been put by their rescuers, waiting for the end to come. Others were being tended to by overworked healers, who were forced to make difficult decisions on who to save and who to ease the passing of. 

Vaerin Emberwalker is brought into the operating room on a gurney, his body limp and pale. His chest heaves with labored breaths as he is swiftly transferred onto the operating table. The room is dimly lit, the only sources of light being the small lamps hanging overhead and the monitors that beep in a steady rhythm. The scent of antiseptic fills the air, mixed with the coppery tang of blood.

 The medical team rushes around Vaerin, checking his vitals and assessing the extent of his injuries. They work with precision and urgency, their movements quick and efficient as they move to stabilize him. Vaerin's shirt is cut away, revealing the extent of his injuries. His chest is bruised and battered, three broken ribs jutting out from his skin. His wrist is mangled, with a deep gash where a piece of jagged pipe tore through his flesh. A small pool of blood has formed under him, evidence of his punctured lung.

The team moves to work on his injuries, the sound of clanking metal tools filling the room. Paithien spouting orders and demands as they went. The crisis response team moved with the speed and grace of a well-rehearsed dance, their movements precise as they work to save Vaerin's life.

Despite their best efforts, the sense of hopelessness and despair in the air is palpable, as if the very walls of the room are closing in on them, eager to claim the Captain’s life after he’d avoided death for so long.

Finally, after what feels like an centuries, the team manages to stabilize Vaerin's injuries. They carefully move him to a nearby recovery room, monitoring his vitals closely.

                   Days passed...

My New Life

Professor, I can’t get water to boil.” 

“ Hmm, try to imagine the water in a vessel, like a bath.” This was what I learned from Knight when I went to Vane Magic Academy to teach during an immersion programme. 

I graduated roughly 20 years ago. When I first graduated, I was offered a job by the headmaster. I’ve been teaching ever since then. The princes too, have graduated and gone back to their kingdoms. They are all ruling now. The last one to ascend the throne was Lance, who argued fiercely with his father about ruling. Ira is a much better place now, I can attest to that.

Today marks the 18th anniversary since I came to Saligia. I walk up the stairs to the headmaster’s tower. Every year since I became a professor, I come to his tower and we celebrate and reminisce. 

“ Hello, Headmaster.” I say, knocking and pushing the door open. I’m greeted by the sight of a cake on the desk and smiles from the headmaster, Christoph, Nix and Phinny. Yes, Chris. He entered the academy and was taught by me. Like me, after he graduated, he was offered a job of being the headmaster’s assistant. He helps with paperwork, errands and occasionally visits the kingdoms when important messages need to be delivered to the kings.

We cut cake, laugh and joke around. I’ve never regretted not going back to Earth, even though I have enough power and have mastered the ability to do so. “ Sophia, as you know, the new school term is coming up in 3 weeks. The island will be under maintenance and the students will be returning to their kingdoms. You and Christoph, of course, may remain here if you wish to do so.”

“ Alright then,I’ll stay here. I’ve already seen everything I wanted to see in Saligia. Is there anything else?” 

“ Yes, actually. It’s good news I think you’ll find.” The headmaster pauses and passes me a stack of forms and letters. 

“ The… kings and heirs… are coming to Colde in a week?” I can’t believe it.

“ Yes, along with the queens and perhaps some of their siblings.”

“ You mean… like Idina and Zev. Sherry’s coming too, right?” It’s been so long since I’ve seen them. Sure, maybe at their coronations and some celebrations, but we have never seen each other face to face.

“ There’s one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“The kings have all requested that you personally teach the heirs. More specifically, ancient magic.All the princes are able to use it. They are aware that you are teaching. If you do agree, you will receive a higher pay and be relieved of all your current teaching duties. They have provided books and some materials on Ancient Magic as well.”

My jaw dropped. “ ME, teach their kids?!”